Congressman Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, will give Lewis County residents a chance to air their thoughts, comments and questions over health care and a host of other issues during a town hall meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Corbet Theatre at Centralia College.

The two-hour meeting comes one week after Baird held a “telephone town hall” with about 1,700 Lewis County residents. Baird had originally said he would not hold in-person town halls because of a “lynch mob mentality” at similar meetings held by colleagues.

He said that some opponents of health care reform currently working its way through Congress were using “close to brownshirt tactics” in shouting down lawmakers and making threats.

He later apologized for those comments, and has said he has not decided whether or not he will support the current health care reform proposals being championed by the Democrat-led Congress.

Wednesday’s meeting could be attended by voters from outside Lewis County as well, as several Web sites supportive of health care reform reach out to other supporters.

“Conservative activists and reform opponents have unveiled a new and ugly strategy to fight health insurance reform,” reads one e-mail from FUSE Washington, a progressive Web site in favor of health care reform. “They are using mob rule tactics to disrupt and hijack public forums and town hall meetings across the country.”

The e-mail goes on to say that “we cannot let right wing extremists hijack this process. As supporters of President Obama’s plan for health insurance reform, we must have a strong presence wherever the issue of health care reform is being debated.”

Another e-mail by Organizing for America, the ongoing campaign arm of President Barack Obama, encourages supporters to bring signs and make their comments heard.

A Baird spokesman said last week he expects the town hall to be a civil event.

The Corbet Theatre is located at 600 Centralia College Blvd. in Centralia.